PREP BOYS GOLF: A Q&A with Calvary Murrieta's Storm Lee

JEFF SANDERS jsanders@californian.com

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Steve Smith fielded a lineup full of freshmen this year at Calvary Murrieta, and his best prospect — Korean import Storm Lee — is already something of a guidepost for the Warriors' youngsters. Not only has he posted the Valley's low round at each of the last two matches prior to this week's Southern California championships at Pasadena's Brookside Golf Club, he has been relentless in his practice and preparation since moving from Seoul to Murrieta, where he resides with a local driving range pro.

"He rubs off on some of my other kids," Smith said of Lee, the first Warrior to advance to the individual postseason in recent memory. "It's good. I've got about seven freshmen and they know they have to put a lot of work in to play with Storm."

The 15-year-old golfer spared some time with The Californian to talk about transitioning to life in a new country, how his mother picked his American name (he went by Jeen Kyoo Lee in Korea) and what he expects at Thursday's state-qualifier.

Question: Tell us how you came from Korea to Murrieta.

Answer:
I was playing tournaments in Korea and I was in sixth grade. It was all big tournaments and ... I knew I had to improve my game. I wanted to be a really good pro later on, so I told my mom one day, "Hey mom, can I go to America to play golf?" I thought that was the only way to improve my game. To play golf in Korea is really expensive. It's like $200 to play a round.

Q: What did she say?

A:
She didn't give me a straight answer at first. She said, "I'll check with your dad." Magically, a few days after, she told me I could go to America — I could go to California and play golf. I asked how, and she said her friend knows someone in California who teaches golf and who's really good. I met him a few months later. That's how I met my coach (Chris Paek), the guy I'm living with.

Q: Did your parents come with you when you traveled to the United States?

A:
No, it was just me. I was 12. I was sad. I was crying. I was crying on the airplane, and once I got here, I cried for a few months straight. I told my coach that I wanted to go home. He said to stay here for a few months and we'll see what happens. So, I stayed here for a few months and then I was just practicing golf every day. I wasn't sad at all after a few months. I was just happy that I was here playing golf, so I decided to stay.

Q: Was it easier to cope with home sickness when you started seeing improvement in your game?

A:
Definitely. I was just playing in a lot of tournaments and practicing. That's how you improve your game to play against other people.

Q: Yeah, your coach at Calvary Murrieta said you came home from 18 holes at Desert Hot Springs earlier this month and practiced until dark. Is that right?

A:
Yeah. That's how it's supposed to be. That's just my style. I knew my putting was off. I needed to practice to get that stroke back. Nothing special — just practicing. Everyone practices. After the bad rounds, people don't practice, but I do.

Q: How much English did you know when you arrived?

A:
Not much.

Q: What was it like trying to learn English on the fly while working on your game?

A:
Not too hard. Golf is just my life. I golf every day. When I have nothing to do, I play golf. To learn English, I go to school and pay attention in class and I talk to my friends. That's how I learned English. I read in English. That's really it.

Q: So how did your mom land on Storm as your American name?

A:
Well, she had this list with 30 names on it. It was all weird names — names I'd never heard of. Storm was on it. She gave me the list and me and my coach looked at it. We all liked Storm.

Q: It's a name that you have to live up to. You ready for that?

A:
Yeah, people say you must be good. It's a special name. But I'm not there yet. I'm never there. I'm always working on that.

Q: What's it like living with someone you'd never met before?

A:
At first it was really strange. I didn't talk to him for a long time. He'd ask me questions and all I would do is respond to him. Once I knew him, once we had time on the course — because he was always next to me, teaching me — that's how we became close friends.

Q: How often do you talk to your parents?

A:
Everyday through my phone. There's this app where you text to different countries for free.

Q: What do they think about what you're doing on the golf course lately?

A:
They are pretty excited. My mom, I talked to her on the phone a few days ago and she freaked out. She screamed. She's always excited.

Q: What kind of expectations are you setting for yourself the rest of this season?

A:
I think I can make it (to state). I just need to be really smart on the course. I'm not going to rush this time. I'm going to take my time this time, and I'm just going to grind it out and give it all I've got.